


The Fallen Star

by velocitygrass



Series: Life-Changing Encounters [5]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Animal Death, Hunters & Hunting, M/M, Pseudo-History
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-12 15:23:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4484495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velocitygrass/pseuds/velocitygrass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John is a sheep herder and hasn't exchanged more than a few words with his neighbor McKay, but when the latter sets out to locate an object that fell from the sky in the dangerous forest, John offers to accompany him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fallen Star

**Author's Note:**

> Content note: there's killing of wild animals/hunting, fake vomit, blood, mention of John/OMC casual sex
> 
> Many thanks to Noblesquirrel for the beta!

The sky was clear and the air around him warm. On nights like these, John liked to stay outside.

There was something peaceful about lying in the grass, the sheep grazing nearby. The stars were clearly visible tonight, allowing John to make connections and recognize the patterns he'd seen on other clear nights.

Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to be able to travel there, to be able to touch a star. Though they were probably too hot to touch if they burned so brightly that they could be seen from so far.

But other places in the sky... Maybe there was someone in such a place right now, looking up at their own sky and wondering the same thing. It was a nice thought, but also a little sad because he knew he'd never meet that person.

John took in the familiar patterns, smiling as he thought of silly things he could picture in them. Then he frowned when one star looked out of place—and moved.

John sat up, keeping his gaze fixed on the star as it turned larger and larger. He'd seen "falling stars" before but this was the first time he thought the star might make it to the ground.

John stood up, holding his breath as the star became a huge glowing ball of fire, coming closer and closer. It was breathtakingly beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Thankfully, with its current trajectory it was going to land in the forest and not in their own or other nearby villages.

The ball of fire kept descending until it hit the ground in what had to be a few days' march from here. There was what looked like an afterglow coming from the area, but other than that everything looked normal. John looked back at the sky, but there was no evidence at all that anything out of the ordinary had happened.

And maybe it hadn't. With the amount of stars, maybe it was just a matter of time until one of them fell all the way down to land on the ground. John still felt the excitement of having witnessed it.

He thought about what the others would say if he told them the next day. He wasn't sure they'd believe him. And he couldn't blame them. He wouldn't be able to do the sight justice with words anyway.

Maybe it would be better not to try. If someone brought it up, he could join and tell his tale of what he saw, but if not, he could keep it to himself and treasure it as the memory of the day a star had fallen into the forest.

~~

John went to the market the next day, walking among the stalls and listening intently for anyone who might have witnessed the fallen star. Instead of hearing something about a celestial phenomenon, though, he only heard the regular gossip and bartering.

John was slightly disappointed, but on the other hand it made the fact that _he_ had witnessed the fallen star more special. He bought a few things from the stalls for his brother's family and was ready to leave when he collided with Sean, a scrawny teenager who was good at heart but quite clumsy. So it was no surprise to John that Sean promptly dropped half of the many vegetables, pieces of meat, and fruits he was carrying.

"Sorry, Mr. Sheppard," Sean mumbled, trying to pick up what he'd dropped, which only resulted in him dropping most of the rest as well.

"Wait, hold still," John instructed him, picking up the dropped goods and trying to arrange them in Sean's arms in a more stable way. "There you go," John said. "Though you might bring a sack the next time you... What _are_ you doing with all of this?"

"Special order for Mr. McKay," Sean said.

"McKay?" John asked, surprised.

Rodney McKay was a hermit who lived next to one of their remote paddocks. Even though they were technically neighbors, John had never exchanged more than a few words with him because McKay made it quite clear that he did not seek company.

He survived by selling trinkets, tools, and jewelry to the villagers and traveling merchants and paid Sean and a few other teens to supply him with food and other necessary goods from the market and to deliver his own goods.

It was highly unusual for McKay to want enough food for a large feast.

"Yes, Mr. Sheppard," Sean replied.

"What does he want with all of this?" John asked.

"He didn't say," Sean answered apologetically.

John only nodded and smiled, getting out of the way so that Sean could continue on his errand—hopefully without further mishaps.

~~

McKay was up to something. The more John thought about it, the more certain he was of it. Why would McKay suddenly need so much food? Try as he might, John couldn't come up with a scenario in which McKay entertained a number of guests that would justify the amount of food he'd ordered.

He could imagine a guest which McKay was forced to invite, maybe to discuss an order for a particular item, but not so many. The food was enough to last him days!

John snapped his finger. That was it! The food wasn't for guests but for a journey. As far as John knew, McKay had always managed to avoid traveling, so this had to be a special occasion—as special as what he'd witnessed the night before.

Could it be...? Was it possible that McKay had witnessed the fallen star just like John had and that he considered it so extraordinary that he wanted to investigate it? John shook his head. The forest was dangerous. John had ventured into it a few times, but he was armed and had experience hunting.

McKay, on the other hand, didn't even chop his own wood if the twigs and small logs that he had delivered to his home were any indication. It would be foolish of him to attempt such a journey, and if John knew anything about McKay, it was that he considered himself the opposite of a fool.

John wasn't sure what other reason McKay could have for a sudden long journey, but he was curious enough to herd the sheep towards the grass that lay closest to McKay's grounds. If McKay were to attempt to find the fallen star, he was likely to cross that bit of land.

~~

By the time the sun was setting, John had almost given up hope on getting a glimpse of McKay. Either John's theories had been wrong, he'd left in another direction, or he'd left before John could catch him.

John was a bit disappointed. There wasn't much happening in Four Corners, and the local hermit setting out on a long journey was about as exciting as it got here. And he would have liked to speak to McKay. If he was sincerely journeying to find the fallen star, dissuading him might save his life. Maybe then he'd actually deign to talk to John once in a while.

John had to admit he'd been curious about McKay for a long time. His weighting system had revolutionized the market—though some hadn't been happy with the easy way to compare how much goods weighed. He'd built other things to help people in the village do their duties. Though nothing to herd sheep!

Not that John minded his profession. He gladly herded the sheep while his brother looked into hiring people to help shear and sell the wool and, when the time came, the sheep as well.

It wasn't a hard life for the most part. Some had asked him how he handled being alone all day, but he always answered that he wasn't alone. He had nature all around him. He knew what they meant, of course, but John didn't mind being alone for longer stretches of time. He wasn't like McKay by any means, and if he did feel like having company, he could always go and stay with his brother's family or visit the market as he'd done that day.

It had turned quite dark when the sheep alerted John. Turning, he saw McKay walking around the herd, a large knapsack with a frame on his back and a walking staff in his hand. He'd almost made it past them, and his back was towards John, but he still had no trouble recognizing him.

"Going for a walk?" John asked.

McKay froze in his step. He didn't turn around, though. Maybe he was deliberating the chances that John would just let him walk on.

"A bit late for a stroll through the country, isn't it?" John asked.

McKay finally turned around. Even in the dark, John could see that he lifted his chin. "It's hardly any business of yours, is it?"

"You're crossing our land, in case you hadn't noticed," John said, starting to walk slowly towards McKay.

"I'm well aware," McKay said. "But please don't pretend that you've never crossed mine. Or that you don't like to take apples from my apple tree."

"You'd never be able to eat them all, and you don't sell them. Would be a shame to let them go to waste," John said.

"Then why don't we consider it a favor, and you'll allow me to cross your land in return," McKay offered.

John came to a stop in front of him and put a finger to his mouth, pretending to think about it.

"Oh, please," McKay said. "Are you going to have me arrested for trespassing?"

John grinned. "No," he said. "So where are you going?" McKay had walked towards the forest, which meant that John's guess as to what could have prompted the hermit out of his home seemed to be correct.

"That's no business of yours," McKay said. "And since I'd like to be on my way, goodbye." He started walking again without waiting for a response.

"I know where you're going," John called after him.

"I _sincerely_ doubt that," McKay called back without stopping.

"You're looking for the fallen star," John said, loud enough to make McKay stop sharply and turn around.

"You've seen it?" he asked, eyes wide.

"It was hard to miss, especially with the size it had been when it landed," John said.

McKay quickly walked back to him. "You've seen it land?" he asked.

"You didn't?" John asked back because it didn't seem like an accomplishment to him.

"Some trees were in the way," McKay said angrily. "Where exactly did it land?" he then demanded of John.

"There," John said, pointing in the direction. "Between where the creek splits and the small glade. Maybe a bit more in direction of the creek."

McKay stared at him. "The creek splits and a small glade? Should that mean anything to me?"

"Apparently not," John said.

McKay made a face. Then he took a deep breath. " _You_ will lead the way," he declared.

"I will?" John asked, though the idea sounded exciting to him.

"Yes," McKay said without hesitation. "I had prepared to have to search for some time, but if you know where it landed, it will significantly lower the time it will take."

"I can see that," John said. "But I have my sheep, and I can't—"

"Oh yes, you can. When was the last time something attacked them? Tell your brother to hire someone for tomorrow. I can make up for the loss," McKay said. He retrieved a wallet from his coat and got out a coin. "That should be more than enough," he said, tossing the coin to John.

John was slightly insulted, though it was certainly more than his brother would pay to replace him temporarily.

"Off you go!" McKay said, making a shooing motion. "I'll walk to the edge of the forest and wait for you."

John was tempted to refuse, but the idea of going into the forest with McKay to find a fallen star was hard to resist. And he didn't think his conscience would allow him to let McKay embark on that journey alone when it was probably he was ill-prepared for it. "I'll catch up with you in a moment," he said and was off to write a note to his brother.

~~

It wasn't long until John joined McKay at the tree line.

He had written a quick note to inform his brother that he'd be gone for about a week and then packed his bow and arrows as well as a trap for small animals. Together with the knife and blade that he always had on his body, a canteen, a loaf of bread and some cheese, he felt set for the trip.

"Where are you provisions?" McKay asked after taking in John's lack of gear. "Don't think I'll share mine with you! I'm not certain it will be enough as it is."

"You can keep them," John said. "I have some bread and the rest I'll hunt or gather. I actually _have_ stepped into the forest before." He left the _unlike you_ unsaid but gave McKay a meaningful look.

"I just wanted to be clear," McKay said defiantly. "Shall we go then?"

"We should light a lamp to lead our way," John pointed out. "Assuming you don't have extraordinary eyesight that allows you to see in the forest at night."

"I have something better," McKay said. He got something out of one of the many pockets of his coat. It was a piece of metal, which he attached to the frame of his knapsack over his shoulder. Then he got something made out of glass from a different pocket and attached it to the metal. A hanging lamp!

John was impressed. It would light the way wherever they went and still leave both hands free. It required the frame, of course, but during their journey at least, McKay was committed to carrying it, so this was quite a useful idea.

Finally McKay got out a tinderbox. It didn't look like any John had seen before so he guessed McKay had created it himself. With practised ease, McKay struck up a fire and lit the lamp.

"Shall we?" McKay asked, his face now lit, showing his smug expression.

"After you," John said, containing a smile. He had no doubt that there'd be ample opportunity for McKay to learn that cleverness alone wasn't going to be enough to survive in the forest.

~~

Ten minutes into the forest McKay started talking.

"Do you realize how extraordinarily lucky you were to be awake and looking at the sky in that precise moment of time?" he asked.

"No more lucky than you," John said.

"Luck?" McKay said aghast. "It had nothing to do with luck. My observations of the sky have predicted that outcome or at least a high likelihood of it coming to pass."

"Did your predictions not include the trees being in the way?" John asked innocently.

McKay turned to glare at him. So closely lit by fire, it looked vaguely threatening. "I admit that was an oversight, but it didn't prevent me from tracing the object's trajectory even if not quite to its conclusion."

"You mean the star?" John asked.

"It is _not_ a star," McKay said vehemently. "Stars are fixed. Well, they move relative to us, but they don't just decide one day to go on leave and land on Earth. No, what we witness as 'falling stars' are objects that start to burn as they come closer to Earth. Most of them burn up before they land, but this one was large enough to make it to the ground."

"Why do they burn when they come closer? Wouldn't it be colder the higher up you go?" John asked. All tales that he'd heard of the mountains certainly attested to anything but comfortable heat.

"This isn't about _weather_ ," McKay said. "Where these objects burn up is higher than the highest mountain on Earth. And I don't think their burning has anything to do with how hot the environment is, but rather with the speed with which they come closer."

"Hmm," John said. "You mean like lighting a fire with a wood drill?"

"I'm actually not entirely certain," McKay admitted. "Never having been that high up in the air."

"Would be nice if we could," John said with a sigh.

"Well, yes, for scientific exploration it would be very useful," McKay said.

"Can you imagine what you could see from such heights? You'd be able to see all of Earth!" John said.

"Yes, and everything would be so small that you couldn't recognize anything," McKay said. "Instead of a forest of trees you'd see a mass of green."

"You'd see holes in that mass for the glades and larger streams," John pointed out. "You could see villages..."

"Depending on how high you are, I'm not sure you'd see individual villages," McKay said. "You'd see mountains, forests, large bodies of water, and the plains. But anything man made would be too small."

John thought for a moment, but he couldn't find a counter example. Even the king's castle—as much as he'd heard of its splendor—wasn't as large. "You may be right," he conceded eventually.

"I definitely am, and you'd do well to get used to it," McKay said haughtily.

John harrumphed.

~~

They hadn't walked much farther when something stirred in the underbrush.

"What was that?" McKay asked, stopping.

"You've certainly heard of animals residing in the forest?" John asked. "There are wolves, bears, boars, deer, foxes—"

"Yes, yes, I understand," McKay said, displeased. "But do you know which _this_ was?"

"Don't you?" John asked.

"I'm not the one experienced with hunting," McKay said loud enough to scare the animal away.

"It's gone, don't worry. It was just a small deer," John said. "The others might not be as easily scared, though, so be careful," he added.

McKay swallowed and slowly started walking again, waiting for John to catch up with him. "How likely are we exactly to encounter some of the others?" he asked fearfully.

It wasn't as satisfying as John had thought to see McKay without his near-constant air of arrogance. In fact, John found himself feeling protective towards his neighbor and charge for the journey. "It will become more likely as we go deeper, but I've encountered all of them and lived to tell the tale. You're not alone."

McKay didn't say anything, but John could see gratitude in his eyes and that was enough.

They walked on but McKay still started at every little noise, so John decided to distract him by asking, "So what is it that you do all day since we both know it's not walking in the forest or anywhere else?"

John couldn't have guessed how successful the attempt to distract would turn out to be as McKay started to recount the many, many things he worked on.

John was in turn amused, impressed, and surprised as he heard tales of experiments, forging, research, whittling, and much more, peppered with insults about anyone who couldn't deliver something as he expected it or anyone who dared not to be fully satisfied with what he'd created.

John mostly listened, though he asked a few questions which were met with McKay's approval. "You're quite smart for a sheep herder," McKay once remarked.

"You're quite brave for someone who never leaves his own grounds," John said, not letting McKay's insult get to him. He suspected it was meant as a genuine compliment. As were his own words, for that matter. He wasn't sure McKay was aware how dangerous the woods really were.

"I had a good reason to leave them," McKay said. "Working on something that has literally fallen from the sky above us from out of this world...will be worth the slight discomfort of a night or two in the forest."

"It will be three days at least to even get there," John corrected him.

"Oh," McKay said, faltering in his steps. "Are you sure?"

"Quite," John said. "And that's when we go straight towards it. Although I _have_ seen it land, I don't believe I'll be able to locate it as if I knew the path. It could be five days until we find it. And then three days to return."

"I'm not sure I have enough provisions for that long," McKay said.

"If you brought everything I saw Sean buy today, you'll be fine," John said.

"But I need three warm meals a day!" McKay protested.

"What on Earth for?" John asked. The only times he'd had three warm meals a day was during village feasts. And he'd survived days on end with just some bread, cheese, and a good bit of gammon.

"My constitution requires me to eat at regular intervals, and I prefer a warm meal to a hard slice of bread," McKay said.

"Maybe you should try soft bread, fresh from the oven. Hmmmm," John said. "This talk of food is making me hungry."

"Me too," McKay said. "Let's rest for a bit."

~~

Resting for "a bit" became a full blown fire and a soup that McKay prepared.

"It'll never last for a week. We need to return and get more provisions," he mumbled as he stirred the pot.

"No, we don't," John disagreed. "There are small streams throughout the forest for water and I can hunt us small animals to roast. I can even find berries, roots, and mushrooms if the situation gets dire. I won't let you starve, McKay."

"You'd share what you'd hunt or find?" McKay asked.

"I'm your guide and responsible for your well-being," John said.

McKay looked thoughtful. "Do you want some of the soup?" he asked eventually.

John smiled and held out his cup. McKay poured him some nice hot soup. John in turn broke off a bit of his bread—softer than what McKay had brought—and handed it over.

McKay took it and dunked it into his soup. After tasting a bite he made a loud noise of a approval that warmed John's guts and heated his ears. "Where did you get this?" McKay asked.

"O'Malley makes them. They don't keep as long as what you usually get, though," John said.

"It's certainly worth it," McKay said. "I'll have to ask Sean to get some of these for me when we return."

John smiled. He took another bite of his bread, then handed the rest over to McKay.

"Really?" McKay asked.

"Take it," John said.

McKay smiled wildly, sticking his nose into the bread and inhaling.

"You should eat it, not _breathe_ it," John said, laughing.

McKay exhaled then took a small bite. "I'm trying to savor it," he said.

John only looked fondly at McKay. He was glad he'd decided to join McKay on this adventure. The fallen star would be a sight to behold, but John was beginning to see that his neighbor was at least as fascinating.

~~

They continued to walk after putting out the fire, but soon McKay asked, "So when did you plan to rest for the night?"

"Are you tired?" John asked back. He could easily walk another two hours, but then he was used to walking all day and McKay was not.

"Well," McKay said. "I thought it might be beneficial for tomorrow's stretch of the journey if we were well-rested."

"Uhum," John said knowingly. "How about this? I'll keep an eye out for a good spot to sleep and when I see one, we can rest for the night."

"A good spot?" McKay asked. "Everything here looks the same." He turned around lighting similar trees, underbrush, and ground in all directions.

"I hope to spot something safe and dry," John clarified.

"That sounds sensible, though I don't expect we'll come across a little hut in the forest," McKay said.

"No, that's further downstream," John said.

"I've considered bringing a tent, but I don't own one, and I don't think Sean could have organized one on such short notice," McKay said.

"No," John said with a snort. "I have a good light tent, but I never use it. I prefer a simple rain cover."

"You could have brought it today!" McKay said.

"Finding a spot with enough space will take as long as finding other shelter. Don't worry," John said.

"I always worry," McKay said. "Don't take it personal."

John smiled. A bit further along the way he stopped when they came upon the hollowed shell of an old tree trunk. "It's a bit tight, but should be safe and dry," he said.

He took hold of McKay's lamp and ignored his protests. Then he knelt down and lit the inside of the trunk. A squirrel rushed out and John grabbed a branch to sweep the inside of the trunk of loose stones and twigs as well as a few spiders.

McKay shuddered. "You have to be joking," he said.

"Neither rain nor a bear can get to you inside there," John said.

"You go first," McKay said.

"I wanted to gather a few sticks to make it more safe," John said. And to relieve his bladder. "But if you insist, just wait here and get ready, and I'll go first."

McKay sighed and started undoing his knapsack.

John disappeared behind a few trees and took care of business then gathered a few fallen branches. He came back to find McKay kneeling at the entrance, his head inside the trunk.

It presented his ass to John in a way that made John flush. Instead of alerting McKay to his presence, John started to sharpen the ends of the branches. It appeared to be loud enough anyway, since McKay started and hit his head on the trunk.

"I'm back," John said.

McKay muttered a curse and reappeared. "Do you want to make a fire to scare the animals away?"

"No, it's not good to leave a fire unattended in the forest, and we should both rest," John said. "These will serve as a gate for the entrance."

"So you are in fact serious about sleeping in there," Rodney concluded.

John snorted. "Yes, I was and am."

McKay sighed but seemed to resign himself to his fate. He took a leather cover with soft lining and crawled inside the trunk. John took the opportunity to admire his ass once again.

It may not be quite appropriate to covet his neighbor like this, but it was just an innocent glance. He'd never even hint at McKay at the carnal possibilities of their shared night's rest.

John had no reason to believe his offer would be met with approval and much worse, McKay might stop trusting him, and John didn't want to risk him doing something foolish like going on alone. He hadn't lied when he'd said he felt responsible for McKay's well-being.

John heard a few noises of complaint as McKay tried to settle down for the night. Once he'd finished sharpening the branches, John secured his bow and arrows at the entrance of the trunk, then crawled in behind McKay.

Turning, he stuck the branches deep into the Earth so that only small animals could enter without moving them. Then he turned back and settled down next to McKay with his own cover.

John had spent more than a night in a tree trunk in the forest, but he'd always been alone. Sharing with someone else definitely made a difference in the available space.

"Are you sure you weren't joking?" McKay asked.

"It _is_ a bit narrow for two," John conceded. His arm was pressing into McKay's.

"Maybe if we turn our backs to each other," McKay suggested.

They did and it felt slightly less cramped. "We can think of something else tomorrow," John said.

"We could still return and get the tent," McKay suggested.

"I can make a makeshift tent with what we have," John said. "Don't worry." After remembering what McKay had said about always worrying, he amended, "Too much."

"Thank you," McKay said quietly.

John smiled and drifted off to sleep, listening to McKay's even breathing.

~~

John woke up feeling comfortably warm even though something heavy lay on him. He opened his eyes and saw the top of McKay's head on his shoulder. They'd apparently turned over during the night, and John lay on his back with McKay halfway on top of him.

John didn't move and enjoyed the close body contact for a moment. He never got this in the furtive barn encounters he occasionally had with Oliver, a farmer in the village. Not that he particularly missed it. He took the sexual relieve he could get from Oliver, but he wasn't interested in more with him.

McKay on the other hand... John shook his head. Instead of continuing that useless train of thought, he tried to carefully remove McKay's hand. McKay stirred and embraced John more firmly.

"McKay," John said quietly. He didn't want McKay to sit up suddenly and hit his head again. John put and arm around his neighbor and held him, saying a bit more loudly, "Rodney."

McKay mumbled something and snuggled more deeply into John.

John smiled and squeezed McKay. "It's morning," he said. "You can keep sleeping, but if you'll let me out, I'll make a fire for your first hot meal of the day."

"Wha?" McKay said and moved his head up, but John held him close enough that he didn't hit his head. McKay looked around, blinking.

"I seem to make a comfortable pillow, but if you'll let me out, I can start preparing for breakfast," John said.

McKay's mouth opened, but nothing came out. Then he looked down their bodies and moved aside. "We must have moved in our sleep," he said, flushing.

"Yes," John confirmed. He was glad that McKay didn't react violently to what had been an accident. "I'll go." Then he moved to remove the sticks that had served as extra security during the night and crawled out.

The air was fresh but not too chilly. John stretched his arms and legs, then went to take a leak and find some water. He found some not too far and freshened up a bit, taking the chance to gratify himself. He imagined what might have happened in the tree trunk the night before, and it brought him to a quick release. After washing up he gathered some water for a pot of tea and more soup, in case McKay was inclined to have that for breakfast.

John had fully expected to find McKay fast asleep in the tree, but when he came back, McKay had already started the fire and had a piece of meat roasting on a spit.

"Here's some fresh water," John offered.

"Oh," McKay said. "Let's keep that for the road. I can heat this up for my morning cup then." He poured water from his own canteen into a small pot.

John cut off a slice of the larger loaf he'd brought and added a bit of cheese. When McKay was done roasting the meat, he offered John a bit. "Thank you," John said. He would set up his trap for the next night and look out for food on the road today.

McKay dug into both the meat and bread. It turned out that the water wasn't for soup. After it had boiled, McKay got out a cup with a strange metal contraption on top. Then he poured out the water. Instead of clear liquid, however, the brew was dark and pieces remained in what John now recognized as a sieve.

"What is that?" John asked.

"It's a new import. I've been trading for it for a while and like to start my days with it. It's called coffee," McKay said. He held the cup to his nose and breathed in happily.

John looked curious. He wasn't one to ask traveling merchants about the latest fashions, but McKay certainly enjoyed it.

McKay took a slow sip, his eyes closed in bliss. When he opened them, he looked at John. His smile faltered. "Would you, uh, like to try it?" he asked, though the way he held the cup protectively to his chest didn't seem like an invitation.

John still said, "Yes."

McKay reluctantly handed over the cup. He kept close guard as John put the cup to his lips blowing on the surface to cool it down, then took a small sip. "Hmm," he said. "Interesting."

McKay looked ready to tear the cup from him, so John handed it back to prevent any mishaps. McKay quickly took the cup and took another sip.

"If we manage to reach the large stream tonight, we can sleep between the rocks nearby and have fresh water," John said.

"Approximately how far would that take us relative to the fallen 'star'? Would we be half-way there?" McKay asked.

"Not quite," John said. "We didn't get very far last night. Making a fire and cooking a meal three times a day takes time," he added.

McKay lifted his chin defiantly. "We'd hardly make better progress if I passed out from hunger. I have a delicate condition!"

"And I'm only pointing out it will affect our time. But we'll make it there eventually. The star is not likely to just leave, is it?" John asked, jokingly.

"No, it's not. I'd still like to get to it as quickly as possible," McKay said.

"Then we should hurry up and get going," John said. He continued to eat and was gratified to see McKay do the same.

~~

While McKay kept talking about his work, John kept an eye out for any dangers—and for food. When he spotted some wild strawberries, he stopped to pick them up.

He caught up with McKay, who hadn't stopped talking, and offered them to him.

"Oh, strawberries," McKay said. "This would be a good time for a break."

"You could eat _and_ walk at the same time," John said. With all these breaks they'd never get anywhere.

"I suppose we could," McKay conceded, though he didn't look happy. He took half of the strawberries and started eating them. He slowly pushed them in his mouth, eyes half closed. Eating seemed to be a full body experience for McKay. No wonder he wanted a break each time. "They would be heavenly dipped in chocolate."

"Chocolate?" John said. Apparently, McKay didn't spare expenses when it came to food.

"You've never had chocolate?" McKay asked.

"Only a few times," John said.

McKay gave John a look. "The sheep you herd belong to your family, don't they? So you're not exactly poor."

They weren't. But John had never considered spending money on frivolities like chocolate. "Do you know how many shearers you can hire for a bar of chocolate?"

"Frankly, no," McKay said. "I've never had need for a shearer."

"I don't suppose you would," John said, smiling. "Have you ever considered taking an apprentice?"

"No," McKay said, looking as if the idea was preposterous. "I wouldn't even know where to begin to find someone who could do even the most basic things I do every day. Who would I hire? Sean?"

"There _are_ people less inclined towards breaking everything put in their hand," John pointed out. "I didn't have anyone in particular in mind. I was just wondering."

"Well, unless you can recommend someone, there's no point in that. Besides, I'm doing very well on my own, as you know," McKay said. "I have a roof over my head, logs in the fireplace, food in the cabinets, and even chocolate and coffee. What more could I want?"

"Companionship?" John asked.

"Is that a statement or a question?" McKay asked.

"A suggestion," John said. "I know not everyone needs a lot of companionship. Though you seem..."

"I seem what?" McKay asked.

"You like to talk, that's for sure," John said.

"Why shouldn't I talk? Do you want me to remain quiet?" McKay demanded, stopping.

"No, don't," John quickly said. "I like hearing you talk." After a moment of considering how it sounded, he amended, "I mean I don't mind."

This seemed to mollify McKay, who continued walking. "You're used to staying alone a lot yourself," he commented. "Or are the sheep companionship enough for you?"

"They're not very demanding, certainly," John said.

McKay raised an eyebrow. "I'll trust that you didn't just compare me to sheep."

John wisely remained silent, one corner of his mouth tugging up.

~~

It wasn't much later that McKay asked, "Isn't it time for our lunch break?"

"Not yet," John said. If they wanted to reach the rocks at the stream, they needed to walk at least another hour before stopping for lunch. Otherwise it would turn more into a second breakfast, which would probably result in additional break in the afternoon.

"Are you sure?" McKay asked, retrieving his pocket watch. "It might be a bit early, but not _too_ early," he said after taking a look.

John sighed inwardly. "All right. I'll keep an eye out for a good spot and let you know."

McKay huffed but put away the pocket watch and continued walking. "Maybe I should invest in a horse," he mused.

"You mean just in case another star falls down to Earth?" John said, quirking a smile.

"Have you ever considered applying as court jester to the king?" McKay asked.

"Yes, but I couldn't in good conscience leave my brother to take care of the sheep," John said straight-faced.

"I'm sure the sheep are very amused," McKay said.

"So am I. I've never heard complaints," John said.

McKay chuckled and John smiled. They continued walking, and John managed to gather some mushrooms and chestnuts, while McKay talked about a wandering bard he'd once encountered.

"So what exactly are you looking for in a good resting spot?" McKay eventually asked.

"Uhm, this here looks fine, actually," John said. He didn't want McKay to know that he'd only wanted them to keep on walking.

"It does?" McKay asked, turning around. "Well, if you think so." He was already taking down his knapsack, though, smiling. "I think I'll make some mushroom soup with what you collected. Add in the rest of this morning's meat and we'll have lunch ready in no time."

~~

There was no such thing as a quick lunch break when it came to McKay. They'd rested for an hour before McKay was ready to pack up his things.

John used the time to wander off a bit, looking for fruits or nuts. He'd taken his bow and arrows with him, in case he came across a rabbit.

After a while he heard McKay saying something too quiet for him to make out. Then he heard two shouts of "Sheppard" and "wolf".

John turned and quickly made his way back, arming his bow as he went. Wolves didn't tend to attack unprovoked, especially not those that had come into contact with humans before. But he wasn't sure if McKay would do something foolish and throw something at the animal to scare it off.

"Stay calm," John told McKay when he came into view.

"Easy for _you_ to say," McKay said. His eyes were large and trained on the wolf.

John turned around a tree, trying to assess the mood of the animal when he saw it snarling at McKay. Without thinking John raised the bow, targeted the wolf, and shot.

Not a second too soon did he hit the wolf who had jumped towards McKay. It collapsed with a yowl as the arrow hit its side. John drew a second arrow as the animal writhed on the ground. "Move away," he told McKay. Then shot again in the throat to be sure the wolf was dead.

"I turned around, and suddenly it was there, snarling at me," McKay said, coming closer.

John instinctively stepped back, moving his hands behind him, to keep McKay from coming closer. "It might have rabies," he said, his eyes still on the animal. It wasn't moving, but John was breathing hard. He could feel McKay behind him and turned around. "Are you all right?" he asked. He felt the irrational need to cup McKay's face with his hands but left it at putting his hand on his arm.

"I'm fine," McKay said. "Just surprised."

John stroked his arm. "That's understandable. It could have..." His heart beat faster just thinking about how this could have ended if he hadn't hit the first time.

"Are you all right?" McKay asked, looking at him with big eyes.

John swallowed then pulled McKay in his arms. At least this way McKay couldn't look at him. McKay's arms came up around him and tentatively patted his back. John felt ridiculous but accepted the embrace. After a minute, he pulled quickly away and asked, "Have you finished packing?" He looked anywhere but McKay.

"I was almost done," McKay said, looking bewildered.

John went to the wolf to retrieve his arrows.

"There's quite a bit of meat on it," McKay commented, but John shook his head.

"I wouldn't risk it," he said. Even if he knew for sure it was safe, he didn't want to spend any more time here than necessary.

Without taking his eyes off the wolf, John waited for McKay to finish. His breathing slowly returned to normal. He tried fighting the graphic images his mind tried to show him of what would've happened if he had been less lucky.

"John!" McKay said.

John started and turned. It probably wasn't the first time McKay had called him. "Sorry," he muttered.

"Here," McKay said, handing John his bag with provisions.

"Thank you," John said, still shaken by the event.

McKay looked at him for a long moment. "It's fine," he said, putting his hand just above John's wrist. Then he moved it further down and squeezed John's hand.

John dared to look at McKay. He didn't know how this man had managed to come to mean so much to him over the course of less than a day. He'd been intrigued by McKay before, but this felt different.

John quickly looked away again and started walking.

McKay followed him. "John?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes?" John asked, turning to him.

"Nothing, I just wanted to see if you'd mind if I called you that," McKay said.

John frowned, but then smiled. "Would you mind if I called you Rodney?"

"Not at all," Rodney said, looking pleased. "We're neighbors after all."

"We are," John agreed. And he hoped that after their adventure they'd act like it unlike before.

~~

Fortunately, the rest of the day passed uneventfully. They came across a squirrel and saw a deer in the distance, but otherwise the only sound was of Rodney talking, just as he liked to do.

When Rodney first started suggesting they take a break for dinner, John used the same tactic as before and pretended to look for a good spot to stop. He managed to make him walk long enough that he was reasonably certain they'd reach the stream by nightfall, if they didn't rest too long.

To ensure that would be the case, he offered to make dinner and quickly roasted some of Rodney's meat for him along with the chestnuts he'd collected earlier.

He encouraged Rodney to eat fast and was done cleaning up by the time he was finished.

"That went quick," Rodney said when they were ready to leave again.

"We still have a bit to go before we reach our goal for the night," John said.

"Right," Rodney said unenthusiastically.

"You want to reach the star as soon as possible, don't you?" John reminded him.

"Within reason," Rodney amended.

"Let me know if you really can't continue," John said.

Rodney sighed, resigned to his fate.

"Think about what you'll do with the star," John said to lift his spirits.

Rodney started talking about the experiments he intended to run, and they walked on towards their goal.

~~

Two times John told Rodney that they weren't far when he suggested they could break for the night here in the forest.

Then the rocks became visible in the distance, barely illuminated by the faint moonlight.

"There they are," John said.

"Oh, thank god," Rodney said. "I wasn't sure if you were just leading me on like with our lunch and dinner breaks."

John faltered in his step. "You knew?" he asked.

"I can't believe you still haven't noticed that I'm smarter than anyone you're likely to meet in your lifetime," Rodney said, put out.

"Why didn't you call me on it?" John asked.

"You're the guide. I trust you to do what is best," Rodney said.

John smiled shyly. "We'll find a good spot to rest here."

They walked the rest of the way and crossed the stream with the help of a tree trunk and some stones. On the other side, John found a spot between two rocks that he could arrange his rain cover on top of.

He made a small fire, securing it away from anything that could catch on fire, and arranged some branches as a fence as he'd done the previous night.

In the meantime, Rodney had collected some moss and arranged it as a bed of sorts. When John joined him, Rodney lifted his leather cover in invitation.

John felt himself flush, but lay down next to Rodney, so that they were facing each other. Rodney put the cover over both of them and after a moment laid his arm across John beneath it. "It'll be warmer if we're closer," he said.

"Uhum," John agreed, barely able to breathe. Rodney snuggled closer, and John put his arms around him. "Goodnight, Rodney."

"Goodnight," Rodney mumbled into his shoulder.

John listened to his breathing and drifted off to sleep.

~~

When John woke up the next day, he wasn't as surprised to find Rodney in his arms. Rodney was still asleep, snoring softly. This time John decided to let him sleep. They'd made good progress the day before and could afford to rest for an hour longer than planned.

It was a bit later when Rodney stirred awake. He opened his eyes, looked a bit confused for a second, but then smiled when he recognized John. "Morning," he said, moving away from John slowly and with what John thought was a certain amount of reluctance.

John would have liked to keep him in his arms a bit longer, but they had to keep moving. If they were lucky and didn't rest too much, they might be able to find the star the next day.

The trap that John had set up the day before had caught a rabbit, so he made breakfast. Rodney made a cup of coffee again, and this time he didn't look quite as unwilling when he offered John a sip, so John tasted a bit more.

He wasn't sure what he thought about it, and John supposed it would be ill-advised to get used to the expensive brew in any case.

After breakfast, they took the opportunity to freshen up in the stream. John couldn't resist spattering Rodney with some water. And Rodney retaliated at once, using a bowl to get John quite wet.

Thankfully, it was a sunny day and quite warm even in the shade of the forest.

They continued their journey to the star in good spirits, and John let Rodney's endless stream of words wash over him, nodding here and there, asking questions, or making teasing comments on occasion.

John had always loved the freedom of herding sheep, moving from pasture to pasture, sleeping under the stars if he wanted to, with no one to disturb him. But there was something about walking with McKay and listening to him that felt right. As if he'd suddenly found something that he had forgotten about. Or rather something he hadn't realized he'd owned. Maybe it was more like an unexpected gift that eased an aspect in his life he'd never considered lacking.

Whatever it was, John allowed himself to bask in it—like the rays of sun that made their way past all of the branches and leaves to warm his face.

When he found some blackberries, he managed to pick a handful without Rodney noticing. John hid them in a folded cloth and only got them back out when they'd finished lunch.

"Close your eyes," John said, kneeling next to where Rodney sat.

"Why? What's wrong?" Rodney asked.

"Close your eyes and open your mouth," John said.

Rodney's eyes narrowed, but then he complied and did as John had asked. John pushed a blackberry into Rodney's mouth, resisting the urge to let his finger linger. Rodney's mouth closed, and he chewed then swallowed before opening his eyes. "Where did they come from?" he asked.

John only smiled and held up another one. To his surprise Rodney didn't take it from him but instead opened his mouth again. John stared at him for a moment. Then he took the berry and pushed it into Rodney's mouth. Rodney sucked it in along with John's finger, holding onto John's hand for a moment, until he swallowed down the blackberry and let John's finger slide from his mouth. He still held onto John's hand though.

"Rodney," John said, nearly breathless. Could he dare hope?

Rodney blinked. "I, uh," he said. "Thank you." He let go of John's hand.

"Rodney," John repeated, leaning closer.

Rodney's gaze dropped to John's lips, but he looked conflicted—or maybe, confused. "We should go, shouldn't we?"

John tried to hide his disappointment. He wasn't sure Rodney even understood what he was doing to John. And John didn't know how to ask. He was no longer sure that his advances would be rejected. But Rodney seemed to be confused by what was developing between them, so John had to tread carefully. "Yes, we should go on," John said. "Do you want more?" he said, holding up the blackberries.

Rodney took two more, flushing as he ate them. "Keep the rest," he said. "You should have some too."

John nodded and ate the remaining blackberries.

Rodney was uncharacteristically quiet as they walked on. John had many questions. He wanted to know if Rodney had ever slept with anyone or if he had so much as been stroked to release by someone else or even been kissed. He wanted to know if this was something he'd consider doing with John. He wanted to know what made Rodney feel good.

"What are you thinking about?" John asked instead. Rodney looked at him, then flushed. "If I find some more, I can feed them to you after dinner," John said, pleased when Rodney's flush intensified.

"So what are the chances that we'll find the fallen object tomorrow?" Rodney asked.

John assumed that Rodney wanted to divert their discussion to safe topics. He could do that for now. He wanted Rodney to feel comfortable with what was happening between them.

They continued walking all day. John didn't find any fruits to feed to Rodney, but when he handed him some of the rabbit for dinner, Rodney's fingers lingered on his for a moment, and he gave John an intense look.

They stayed close together after nightfall, and John kept an eye out for a good spot to sleep. He wasn't familiar with this area of the forest, so they walked on until Rodney once again asked how much further they should go.

"I think this will work," John said pointing at two trees standing relatively close together.

He quickly worked to turn rope and his rain cover into a makeshift tent. Then he set up the trap for the night. They still had some of the rabbit, but maybe they wouldn't be lucky every day with the trap, and he wasn't sure how long they would be looking for the fallen star.

When he returned, Rodney had started making a fence from sticks on the ground. John smiled fondly, adding his own branches until they were enclosed. Rodney had also cleared a spot of twigs and covered it with moss.

As they settled down, neither of them hesitated to curl around each other.

"John, I..." Rodney began but didn't continue.

"You...?" John prompted.

Rodney lifted his head. They'd hung a lamp in a branch above them, turning it down to glow faintly, but it was enough for John to see the questions in Rodney's eyes. "I don't know what... I haven't..." Rodney started again without finishing. Eventually, he laid his head back on John's shoulder. "Thank you for taking me here," he said.

John squeezed him. It was all right for Rodney to not be ready for more. "I'm glad you asked me," John said.

"Right," Rodney said. "I asked you, so I should thank myself."

John snorted and gently cuffed the back of Rodney's head.

"Do you think we'll find it tomorrow?" Rodney asked.

"I don't know," John said truthfully. He wasn't sure if he wanted them to find it quickly anymore or if he'd prefer that they had to search for a few more days. Either way, he hoped that this journey was not the end of what they'd started.

"Goodnight," Rodney said.

"Goodnight," John said softly.

~~

The next morning John didn't wake up with Rodney on top of him. Instead he was curled around Rodney's back. It was a nice feeling to have Rodney in his arms, though John regretted that he wouldn't see Rodney's eyes as they opened.

He lay still until Rodney stirred slightly. "Are you awake?" John asked quietly.

Rodney made an indistinct noise then turned in John's arms. Their faces were very close, and John wanted to kiss him so badly it took an almost physical effort to hold back. Rodney searched his eyes, then he gasped. "We might find it today!"

"Yes," John said, smiling. He should have expected that the star would be front and center on Rodney's mind now that it was within reach. "Or we might not. We'll have to keep an eye out," John reminded him. He wasn't sure how visible the landing site would be through the trees.

John checked his trap and found another rabbit. They still had some left over, so John packed it for later.

They had a quick breakfast. John hadn't seen Rodney so eager to set off since they'd started their journey. This boded well for today's walking. Rodney had tried not to complain too much, presumably because of his own wish to find the star as soon as possible, but even so the frequency of asking for the next break had always increased throughout the day. Maybe today would be different.

As they neared their target area, John started marking trees with chalk—and more infrequently with cuts to the wood in case rain washed the chalk off. This way they would be able to avoid walking the same areas twice.

Unfortunately, the forest was dense enough that they couldn't see very far.

"We'd need a hundred people to be really efficient," Rodney said. "Not even a horse would be of much use."

John nodded in agreement. He wished there were signs they could look for, but even on the night of the landing itself the sky had looked the same once the star had fallen. The forest hadn't started burning, or at least had no longer burned the morning after, so it wasn't likely that they would notice anything in the area until they came very close.

He once again wished for a way to fly. From high above it would be easy to spot a larger area without trees. Hmm. While searching for the star, John decided to keep an eye out for an exceptionally large sturdy tree.

By afternoon they came across a tree that had grown quite tall. John wasn't sure how far he'd be able to climb without it bending, but it was worth trying if it increased their chances of locating the star without relying on stumbling upon it out of sheer luck.

"What?" Rodney asked when John stopped in front of the tree.

John looked up. "I'll see if I can get a better look around," he said. He put down his provisions and everything else he was carrying except his knife and rope. Then he started to climb the tree, using the knife to aid him if there was no branch to pull himself up on.

"Are you insane?" Rodney asked, wide-eyed. "You won't see anything at all until you go nearly to the top. You'll fall and break your neck! How will I get home then?"

"If that's your only concern, don't worry," John said, still climbing. "Follow the markings on the trees back as far as they go, then find the large stream and go straight west from there. Eventually, you'll leave the forest. Then it's just a matter of following the tree line back to where we started."

"I don't want you to _die_ ," Rodney shouted up. He sounded really worried now.

"I won't. As soon as I'm further up, I'll secure myself with the rope. You can go look for food to pass the time. But don't go too far," John shouted.

Rodney didn't answer. John could still see him standing below, though soon he was too far up to see the ground. He began using the rope to draw himself further up in a secure way. One time the rope slid off and a few twigs broke off. "Careful down there!" John shouted, hoping Rodney wouldn't be hit on the head. "Are you still there?"

There was no answer, but John chose to believe that Rodney had walked away far enough that he couldn't hear him. There was no point in panicking and the twigs hadn't been large enough to severely hurt Rodney.

The further up the tree John climbed the more it started moving. Unfortunately, he still wasn't above the other trees yet, so he kept climbing, attaching another end of the rope to the tree. It took longer this way, but he was more secure should the tree attempt to shake him off.

Slowly the tree tops thinned out and he could almost see beyond his immediate area. The tree had already started moving sideways from his weight, so John very carefully climbed further until he could see the top of the trees at a steep angle. At first glance there didn't seem any difference no matter where he looked. But when he looked again, paying closer attention to details, he could see that there seemed to be a thinner spot up ahead of them.

He wasn't high enough to see if it was a real glade, caused by the star, but heading that direction couldn't be worse than walking blindly.

John slowly started his descent keeping an eye on the direction they'd have to walk and marking it on the tree as he went down. "Rodney?" he asked when he came close enough to see the ground but didn't spot him.

There was no answer, and John climbed faster. He kept diligently marking their direction but then jumped the last bit down. He looked around but only saw what he and Rodney had carried. "Rodney?" John shouted more loudly.

There was still no answer, and John began to check the ground for any signs of a struggle. What if another wolf had come across them or even something larger? Climbing up and down had taken quite a bit of time, and he wasn't sure he would have heard a shout from the top, not to mention that Rodney might not have had the chance to shout if the wolf or bear had gone straight for his throat.

There was no blood but blunt trauma could kill just as easily.

A noise behind him made John spin around.

"It's not a nice feeling to worry and be ignored, is it?" Rodney asked as he came around a tree nearby.

"Don't do that!" John said, realizing that he was panting. He tried to calm down. "I'm sorry. But it really _was_ safe."

Rodney's slanted mouth slanted even more. He came closer, dropping a mass of mushrooms at John's feet. "Did you see anything at least? You were gone long enough for me to collect enough for a day."

John crouched down to inspect the mushrooms. "Let me go through these," he said. At first glance, many of them were poisonous or inedible. "And I did see something, though I'm not sure if it is the location of the star or just a little dent in the tree tops. I couldn't go up far enough to really see."

"Which was exactly what I predicted," Rodney said, crouching down as well. "Which are which?" he asked, looking at the two heaps of mushroom John created.

"These are edible," John said, pointing at the smaller heap.

Rodney sat down, looking frustrated. "What a waste of time."

"This will make for a nice soup for dinner," John said, trying to be encouraging. "I could teach you to recognize them."

"What for?" Rodney asked. "I don't expect to ever wander the forest alone without provisions."

"Something could happen to me," John pointed out.

Rodney sat up and put his hand on John's arm. "Don't say that."

"I'm not leaving you alone, but as you recall, there are dangers beyond our control," John said.

"You dispatched of the wolf quite nicely," Rodney said.

John recalled how easily he could have missed or have been too late. "I was lucky," he said darkly.

"You can teach me about mushrooms another time," Rodney said. "Shouldn't we continue? How far is the possible location you spotted?"

"We should be able to reach it tonight, though it will be dark," John said.

"That doesn't matter. As long as we find it," Rodney said, eyes sparking with excitement.

"It might be elsewhere," John cautioned.

"I know, I know," Rodney said, not at all discouraged. "There's only one way to find out. Let's go."

~~

John had never seen Rodney so eager to move on after dinner.

Night fell, and Rodney was about to light the lamp hanging from his knapsack frame when John stopped him. "Leave it for now," he said. "Maybe the star is still glowing."

"I told you it's not a star," Rodney said but didn't light the lamp. "And I find it highly unlikely that it would still glow after several days. Have you ever seen a heated stone or metal still glow after several days of cooling?"

"No, but I've also never seen a star of that size falling to the ground. Maybe it's a lot hotter than anything you could create with a normal fire," John said.

"If it had been so hot, the whole forest would have turned to ashes. Did you see any smoke?" Rodney asked.

"No," John conceded. "Let's just walk on. We can see enough to keep moving."

After a while it seemed to John that he could see a faint glow ahead of them. He didn't say anything because he wasn't sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him.

But as they walked a bit further, Rodney said, "There's... _something_ up ahead."

"It's glowing," John said triumphantly.

"We don't know that," Rodney said. "Maybe it's a hut in the forest. You've never been this far, have you?"

John had to admit that he was right. A hut in the woods would explain not just the glow, but also a clearing in the tree tops. Though why someone would live in the middle of the forest, far from any path or river, he didn't know.

They approached the glow and slowly realized that the source of light were two torches or lamps. They stood next to a small tent behind a rock.

"There it is," Rodney said excitedly.

"What?" John asked.

"The fallen 'star'," Rodney said.

"Where?" John asked.

"It's the huge rock. Don't tell me you can't see it," Rodney said.

"But it looks like a normal rock," John said.

"I can prove it to you. I'm sure there'll be a huge dent where it landed and no moss since it's only been here for a few days," Rodney said, beginning to walk more quickly, but John put a hand on his arm and held him back.

"Wait," he said. "Even if that is the fallen star, we're not the only ones who found it."

"So?" Rodney asked. "We saw it as it landed. We have as much right to it as anyone else."

"Anyone else might be armed and ready to assert their rights with lethal force. Let's not be hasty," John said. "We found it. That's what we set out to do."

"But—" Rodney began to protest.

"And we can take a closer look at who is guarding it tomorrow. It's late. Let's find a resting spot far enough to not alert them to our presence," John suggested.

"We don't even know if they want it to themselves. Maybe they just went looking for it as we did," Rodney said.

"All the better," John said. "But I'm not going to talk to them without a better idea of who we're facing."

Rodney pouted but relented. "Let's rest."

John quickly made a makeshift tent, which consisted of nothing but the rain cover laid over the rope tied over sticks. They crawled beneath and John wasn't sure if Rodney would be willing to huddle "for warmth" this night after their disagreement, but Rodney moved closer even if he didn't immediately move his arm over John as he had the previous nights.

John turned and moved his arm back in invitation. Rodney looked at him. He hesitated long enough that John nearly pulled his arm back, but then Rodney curled into his side.

"I'm not leaving without seeing the object and taking a piece with me," Rodney whispered.

"And I won't risk anything happening to you," John whispered back.

Rodney didn't answer.

"We'll figure something out," John said. He hoped that was true. It would be heartbreaking to leave empty-handed. And he'd never hear the end of it from Rodney during the trip back and even after returning.

~~

For the first time since they'd started their journey, John didn't wake up with Rodney in his arms. It was disorienting, and it took him a moment to remember that he hadn't just been herding sheep. Then he sat up and crawled out from under the makeshift tent, looking around until he spotted Rodney a bit further away.

Rodney was looking towards the fallen star from behind a tree when John caught up with him. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"I didn't want to disturb you. And I just couldn't wait," Rodney said.

"We'll go check it out, but aren't you hungry? What about the three hot meals a day?" John asked.

"You're right. I _should_ eat. Though maybe some bread and cheese will be enough for today. You still have some of that, don't you?" Rodney asked.

"Come back," John said, nodding towards their camp.

They ate quickly, and Rodney could hardly tear his eyes away from the star. It still looked quite like an ordinary rock in bright daylight.

"What's our plan?" Rodney asked.

"First, we need to find out how many there are and if possible, what they are," John said.

"'What'?" Rodney asked.

"Poachers, foresters, merchants, robbers..." John said.

"Sheep herders," Rodney said with a grin.

"What would you call yourself?" John asked.

"Universal genius," Rodney said without hesitation and apparently without humorous intent.

John bit his lip and didn't comment on that.

"Craftsman if you must," Rodney amended.

John smiled. Then he became serious. "I'll circle the star and see if I can count them."

"What do you mean, _you_ will circle the star? What am I supposed to do in the meantime?" Rodney asked.

"You're right," John said. "Maybe it's best we stay together. There is no way of knowing how many there are and if they are watching for unwelcome guests."

"We still don't even know if they weren't just curious like we are," Rodney said.

"Right," John conceded. Maybe he was too skeptical. But he couldn't help thinking of wolves that suddenly appeared close to the herd. He didn't intend to end up like a ripped sheep.

They packed their things and started walking in a large circle around the area the star had landed. The first thing that John noticed were two horses tied down close to the tent.

"See, the horse wasn't a bad idea. We would have found the star first if we'd gotten horses," Rodney said.

"It's not a star," John said automatically. Rodney gave him a look. "And I'm not sure we would have found someone willing to part with their horses from one minute to the other. Well, maybe _you_ could have convinced them." Since Rodney did seem to have quite a lot of resources.

"I wonder if they'd sell their horses to us," Rodney said.

"I wonder if it's just two people or if the horses helped carry the tent and provisions for an even larger group," John said.

They kept moving when John spotted one of the guards. "Oh," he said, as he recognized their attire.

"What are they? They look neither like foresters, merchants, nor thieves," Rodney asked.

"They are guards from the king's court," John said.

"That's good," Rodney said brightly. He looked like he was about to approach the guard, so John stopped him, putting his hand on his chest. "What's the problem?" Rodney asked.

"We still don't know why they're here," John pointed out.

"The king probably got word of the fallen star and sent someone out to investigate. Unexpected foresight, I admit," Rodney said approvingly.

"He may not want others investigating as well if that's the case," John said.

"Whyever not? The rock is large enough. If the king sees the wisdom in investigating such an occurrence, he'll surely appreciate another set of eyes on it," Rodney said.

John didn't have the heart to tell Rodney that he didn't think the king would appreciate _any_ offer from a peasant. "We should tread carefully," John warned.

"I didn't intend to run in with raised knife or bow. I don't even _have_ arms except for a small pocket knife," Rodney said. "Let us talk to him."

John hesitated. He didn't have a good feeling about this.

"What else do you suggest?" Rodney asked.

John knew that he couldn't ask Rodney to just leave. And trying to take a piece of the star without asking could quickly land them in hot water. They could still consider sneaking and theft if they were turned down. John nodded. "Don't argue with the guard," he cautioned.

"I'm always a voice of reason," Rodney said.

"Sometimes a loud and angry voice of reason," John pointed out.

Rodney glared at him. Then he turned back towards the guard and started walking. John remained right behind him. His hand twitched and wanted to grab the knife by instinct, but he forced himself to stay calm and act unthreatening.

"Who's there?" the guard asked, when he heard them. "Identify yourself."

"I'm Rodney McKay," Rodney said with flourish, still coming closer.

"I'm John Sheppard," John added. "We're both from Four Corners."

"Four Corners?" the guard asked. "That's beyond the forest."

"It's between the river and the forest where hills lead into the plains," John said. He doubted that the guard was interested in the origin of their village's name, but it was an innocent enough topic to pursue.

"That's quite far for a mere walk in the woods," the guard commented suspiciously.

John stopped, keeping a healthy distance between the guard and himself. He was glad when Rodney noticed and stood as well, though a bit closer to the guard. "We didn't come here through co-incidence," Rodney explained. "We came here for the same reason as you—presumably—did. To find the fallen 'star'." He pointed at the large rock behind the guard.

Now that they were closer, John could see that Rodney was right. The rock hadn't lain here for hundreds or even dozens of years. There was no moss on it at all, and it was surrounded by broken trees and violently disturbed earth.

"We happened to see it a few nights ago and became curious," John added with his most charming smile. "I'm a sheep herder, so I'm often outside at night, watching the sky."

"Ah," the guard said. He seemed a bit less tense.

"We'd like to examine the object," Rodney said.

"I'm afraid, I can't allow that," the guard said. "The king has ordered that the star be brought to him."

"It's not a—" Rodney began, when John cut in.

"We understand," he said. "It will make for a unique addition to the king's treasures."

"But—" Rodney said, before John took his arm and squeezed _hard_.

"But what?" the guard asked. John noticed that his hand went to the hilt of his sword.

"The object is so large," Rodney said. "I'm sure the king would want interested citizens to partake in such a discovery."

"If you're so sure, you can take it up with him," the guard said.

"Is he coming here?" Rodney asked.

"Not to my knowledge," the guard said. "We're only keeping guard until we get word back from the castle on how to transport the star."

"Then how—"

"Rodney," John interrupted him. "Let the man work in peace." Then he turned to the guard and said, "Thank you."

The guard only nodded. "Now move on."

Before Rodney could protest, John grabbed him and dragged him back into the forest.

"We can't just leave," Rodney said when John finally let him go.

"He's not going to let you just _take_ a piece of the star," John said. "We'll have to either steal it from under their noses or draw them away and _then_ steal it. Either way it will be stealing from the king, and I think we should really consider what we're about to do before acting."

"And we told him our name and where we came from. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea," Rodney said.

"We couldn't have known it would come to this," John said.

"You want us to go back and forget about the rock, don't you?" Rodney asked unhappily.

"I know that you want to examine it at least," John said. "I, too, wouldn't want to return like this. We came so far, and now it's within reach..."

"And yet untouchable," Rodney finished.

"Do you think it feels like normal rock?" John asked. "It's so hard to believe that it came from beyond," he said, looking at the sky. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes..."

"Wait a moment," Rodney said.

"What?" John asked, dropping his head again to look at him.

"Maybe there is another way," Rodney said.

"Other than stealing from the king? I'd really like that, to be honest," John said.

"Exactly. I don't think we should trust that the king is a reasonable man, who'd encourage the astronomical curiosity of his citizens," Rodney said.

"So what do you want to do if neither asking for a piece nor stealing it?" John asked.

"What if the king no longer _wanted_ the rock?" Rodney asked.

John frowned. "How would you achieve that?" he asked.

Rodney grinned.

~~

John wasn't nearly as certain as Rodney that his plan would work, but he still did as Rodney asked. If it failed, they'd have to make a run for it. They'd either have to kill guards or would never be able to go home again.

Rodney had accepted the risk, but thought it was worth it. "We won't fail, John," he'd said with his typical confidence.

And John had found himself unable to deny him. He would miss his family if he and Rodney were caught and had to flee, but at the same time John already felt closer to Rodney than to his family after the last few days. Traveling with Rodney for the foreseeable future wouldn't be entirely unwelcome, even if John still hoped Rodney's plan would work.

John went hunting while Rodney prepared the first prop. They estimated that they had two or three days until other guards arrived with instructions. It took a few hours, but John managed to kill a squirrel, a rabbit, and an owl. He also saw a deer, but it was too fast for him.

When he met up with Rodney, the gruesome display was ready. John had to admit it looked quite convincing. Rodney was now preparing the first rabbit by mixing white chalk, ground moss, leaves, and gruel and "feeding" it to the dead animal. He also must have applied some cuts around the eyes. All in all the animal looked as if it was bleeding from its eyes and vomiting something unearthly.

"I've also collected some mushrooms," Rodney added.

"We're not pressed for food," John told him. "I'll go through them but—"

"It's not for _us_ ," Rodney said pointedly.

"You want to _poison_ the guards?" John asked. He'd been prepared to kill them in self-defense if necessary, but killing some of the king's men—who were only following orders for that matter—didn't feel right. Not to mention that it would make their whole subterfuge unnecessary.

"Not to _kill_ them," Rodney said. "But maybe some cramps or just a slight feeling of sickness. They've been around the rock for a day at least. It'll be more convincing."

John had to agree but breaking into their tent so close to the horses was more risky than simply placing dead animals around the rock. "I'll do it," he still said. He had to hurry, finding the right selection of mushroom bits that wouldn't stand out as inedible. And he had to hope that the guards wouldn't start preparing food early and catch him and that they had mushrooms or other provisions in which he could easily mix the unsavory ones Rodney had collected.

Before John went, he told Rodney, "If I don't return—"

"You _will_ ," Rodney interrupted him.

"But if I don't, you know the way back. Tell them you left me to return home. Tell them I threatened you," John said.

"John," Rodney said, taking John's hands.

John shook one hand free to cup Rodney's face. "Promise me," he said.

"I promise, but—" John put a finger on his mouth to stop Rodney's words. Then he pulled Rodney close and kissed his forehead, before standing up and leaving.

~~

After smuggling the mushrooms into the tent without incident, placing the prepared rabbit close to the star was easy. The guards stood at opposite sides of the star and only moved to eat or relieve themselves.

John prepared lunch using the edible mushrooms, while Rodney kept working on the other carcasses. John tried not to look too closely since it didn't do well for his appetite.

While the guards ate, John placed the prepared squirrel on the other side of the star.

They kept the owl and the second rabbit for later. Then John set out hunting again and told Rodney to try to sleep. If they wanted to keep this up through the night, they needed the rest.

John had to move quite far—so far that he felt uncomfortable with Rodney relatively close to the guards—but it was worth it. He returned with a fox and a stag in tow and yet another rabbit.

The stag was the most problematic because of its size. John dragged it along the ground with rope for most of his way back. He hoped that Rodney's preparatory work would be so convincing that the guards didn't even think about examining it closely.

When John returned to their camp, Rodney was sleeping. He let him sleep and went to prepare dinner. Rodney woke up just as he was finished, sniffing the air. It made John smile.

"Hungry?" John asked.

"Yes," Rodney said. He crawled over to inspect John's kills. "You're pretty good at hunting," he remarked.

"You need to be quick when wolves attack the herd," John said.

Rodney joined him at the fire. It wasn't dark yet and they'd placed their camp far enough from the star that the guards shouldn't be able to see it. "They found the rabbit. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but they seemed upset. And they didn't touch it. I also saw one of the guards throwing up," Rodney said gleefully.

"Weren't you supposed to sleep?" John asked.

"I did. I just wanted to see if they'd find it and if we'd accidentally killed them with our mushrooms," Rodney said.

"They're not evil, you know," John said. "They're acting on the king's orders, and he's not really evil either. This is _his_ land."

"But the sky isn't," Rodney said, pointing up.

"Let's eat and then rest some more, before placing the squirrel and the owl," John said.

~~

John only fell into a light slumber with Rodney in his arms. It was dark when he woke up. He lightly squeezed Rodney. "Psst," he said. "Rodney."

Rodney yawned, then blinked his eyes open. "What time is it?"

"I don't know," John said. "But it's still dark. I'll go place the squirrel and the owl now. You can prepare the rest. _Don't_ light a lamp. I'm not sure we're far enough they wouldn't notice." The light from the tent next to the star was visible as a faint glow from their position.

Rodney nodded. "Be careful," he said.

John was tempted to kiss him. Maybe when all of this was over. He nodded and left.

There was only one guard outside. Presumably the other was sleeping in the tent. John took his time finding a good spot to place the squirrel. For the owl he chose a spot _on_ the star. He hesitated for a moment before touching it.

It would be terrible if the star _did_ turn out to be poisonous. John shook off that thought. He placed the owl in a nook, then ran his hand over the uneven surface. Unfortunately he couldn't pry loose a part of the stoney material.

He returned to their camp where Rodney had finished working on the fox and the deer. "This can be lunch and dinner tomorrow," he said, pointing at the rabbit. "And I've collected _this_." He held up a glass of blood.

John swallowed, trying not to lose his dinner as he thought about what Rodney wanted them to do with that.

Carrying the deer and fox to the star would be much harder than the small animals. They decided to do it together. Rodney would be on the lookout for the guard, while John dragged it.

The dragged leaves and branches sounded very loud to John's ears, so in the end he decided leaving the deer close, but not directly next to the star. Then he dropped the fox close enough that it touched the star.

As he retreated, John noticed that there were very obvious drag lines behind the deer, so he quickly, but as quietly as possible moved the forest ground so that it looked inconspicuous again.

Then they waited behind some trees with the glass of blood and a bowl of the fake vomit Rodney had prepared.

John was tired and afraid and not looking forward to facing the guards. Rodney had volunteered to play the main part. He said he was a good actor.

The sun had come up by the time the guard made his way to the tent. When he came upon the fox, he stopped. "What's this? Not another..." He took a few steps back and stumbled over the stag. The guard let out a loud shriek.

Rodney jumped into action, telling John to lie down next to the star, far enough that he wasn't in direct line of sight where the guards currently stood, but close enough that the guards would see him as soon as they came closer and Rodney stepped from his hiding place and stumbled towards John, essentially leading them to his 'body'. To ensure that John's apparent demise would look suitably horrifying, Rodney dropped some blood next to John's eyes and then put some of the green-white mass around his mouth.

John closed his eyes and tried to lie still. He could hear steps approaching and a voice. "Duncan? What on Earth is going on?"

"They're everywhere," the other guard said.

John heard leaves rustling, then, "Good god."

"It's...the star," John then heard Rodney say beside him.

"What happened to you? What is— Is he dead?" one of the guards asked, sounding clearly panicked now. John tried not to breathe.

"The star..." Rodney said, his breathing labored. "It's poison." Then John heard retching noises and a thud.

John's heart was beating furiously in his chest. He heard more retching noises; these ones had to come from the guards. "We're going to die," one of them said.

"We must warn the others," the other said. "The king must be protected!"

"I'm not sure I can," came the answer. "I already feel it in my body."

"We must _try_. I'll help you on the horse."

They moved away. John remained still until he heard two horses riding off. It had worked. He couldn't believe it, but it had worked.

There was a noise next to him, and when John turned, he saw Rodney quickly crawling towards him, then throwing himself on John. "They believed it. They _left_. It's _ours_ now!"

Rodney looked so happy John _would_ have kissed him if it weren't for the fake vomit and the tears of blood. "Let's wash up and then get a piece of the star and some rest," John said.

Rodney took water from his canteen and wiped off his face cursorily, then he ran back towards the camp. John got up to follow him. "Where are you going?" he called after Rodney.

"I'm getting my tools!" Rodney said excitedly.

John followed him, but when he arrived, Rodney was already on his way back to the star. "Be careful," John warned. "They're gone for now, but maybe others sent from the court will want to verify their tale. Get what you want and then come back."

"Don't worry," Rodney said brightly. Then he was off.

John sat down and thoroughly cleaned his face. The lack of sleep from hunting for most of the previous day was catching up with him. He lay down under their makeshift tent and was out like a light.

~~

John was gently shaken awake. He opened his eyes and saw Rodney smiling down at him. "I've made lunch."

John's stomach rumbled in agreement. Recalling the events of the night and morning, John realized he'd missed breakfast. "You got your piece of the star?" he asked.

"Several," Rodney said, beaming. "It looks unlike other stones, but still shares some of its properties. I can't wait to work on it." He handed John a bowl of rabbit stew.

John took it and dunked some bread inside. It sounded like Rodney would disappear back into his home as soon as they returned.

"Is there a problem?" Rodney asked.

"No," John said, forcing a smile to his face. "So what exactly did you plan to do with the...object."

"I'll try melting and polishing it for sure," Rodney said. "It's lighter than rock, so if it proves as strong it could be useful in cases where weight matters. And it's unique look will certainly make for some valuable jewelry."

"Jewelry?" John asked.

"Yes," Rodney said. "I've wanted to make rings." He dropped his gaze and added, "For us."

"Us?" John asked.

"Well, to commemorate our adventure," Rodney said, not meeting John's eyes. "Obviously, if you don't want one, I'll simply make one for myself."

John set aside the bowl of stew and crawled over to sit beside Rodney. He took Rodney's hand in his. "I'd be honored to wear it."

Rodney looked up at him, his eyes wide with wonder. "You want to..."

John still wasn't sure if Rodney was aware what exactly was happening with them, but this time he really wanted to kiss Rodney and saw no reason not to try. He lifted his hand and cupped Rodney's face. Then he slowly leaned closer, letting Rodney see what he was going to do giving him a chance to stop him if he truly didn't want it.

Rodney's mouth opened, and he stared raptly at John.

"May I kiss you?" John asked to be sure.

Rodney's eyes widened even more. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, he whispered, "Yes."

John didn't wait a second longer, pressing his lips against Rodney's. He closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around Rodney and feeling Rodney do the same. Rodney kissed him back clumsily, but it was still the most wonderful feeling John had ever experienced.

He guided Rodney's lips, slowed him down, and eventually pushed his tongue out to taste more of him. Rodney moaned into John's mouth, and suddenly John wanted more than a kiss. Every morning he'd woken up with Rodney in his arms, he'd wanted to feel him. Now he finally could.

"Let me touch you," John asked.

Rodney pulled back, his eyes glazed. "Touch?" he asked.

"Your skin," John clarified, pressing his face into Rodney's pale neck.

Rodney pulled back so fast it was almost comical, but since he scrambled out of his clothes, John was only filled with desire. He removed his own clothes and laid out Rodney's leather cover beneath the makeshift tent.

He lay down on it, watching Rodney struggle with his boots until he finally managed to push them off along with his trousers and underwear. When he was naked, he looked at John, taking in his body with unguarded lust. It made John flush to be looked at like that.

Rodney crawled towards him on all fours. His member had begun to stiffen, and John thought about all the things he was going to do with it eventually. He opened his arms for Rodney, and Rodney lay on top of him, skin to skin, seeking John's mouth with his.

They started kissing again, so much better with their whole bodies getting into it and their skin touching. The air around them cooled their sweating bodies, and John started thrusting against Rodney. Rodney thrust against him in return, making wonderful noises of pleasure.

They kissed and rubbed against each other, increasingly desperate as their excitement elevated. Their members lay stiff between them, wet at the tip, and John was so close to falling that he moved one hand from Rodney's back between them to wrap around both their shafts.

Rodney groaned and thrust into the tight ring John formed with his hands, once, twice. Then he froze and released his seed all over John's stomach and chest. His mouth was open in pleasure, and the sight caused John's own climax, and his seed joined Rodney's as he moaned his name.

They collapsed and lay in each other's arms, panting heavily.

"Oh god," Rodney said. "We must do this again."

"This and many other things," John agreed.

"Other things?" Rodney asked.

"There's much we can try," John said. He wanted to do everything he'd ever done and some things he'd only dreamed about with Rodney. "So much to learn."

"I _love_ learning," Rodney said.

"I know," John said, smiling softly. "And you're a universal genius."

"I make it my goal to master every craft I learn," Rodney said smugly.

"I'm glad you weren't a master of the forest," John said, stroking Rodney's side.

"I'm glad I forgot that the tree would impede my view of the landing," Rodney said.

"I still wouldn't have let you go alone," John said seriously. "You wouldn't have survived."

Rodney's eyes widened. "You might be right. And you wanted to save me? You didn't even know me," he said.

"Not very well," John agreed. "I wished I did, though, even then."

"I sometimes watched you from my window when you herded your sheep close by," Rodney confessed.

"You did?" John asked, pleased that Rodney _had_ taken notice of him.

Rodney flushed. "I lamented that someone so beautiful was only smart enough to herd sheep."

"Hey," John said.

"Now I know that you can do much more," Rodney quickly said.

"Much more," John agreed, mollified. He moved Rodney back on top of him, trailing his hands down his back to his ass. "We have much to learn from each other."

Rodney looked at him, his mouth open. "I never believed in wishing upon a star, and I still don't. But I have to admit that this particular fallen star..."

"It's not a—"

Rodney stopped John's words with a kiss.


End file.
